Give Your Fans and Followers an Identity to Build a Strong Community

When you want to build a legion of fans or a strong community of followers, the first thing you should do is give them an identity. And this insightful lesson comes from an unlikely source: the craziest hip-hop act in the world, Insane Clown Posse.

Author Nathan Rabin studied the band's fervent fan base, as well as Phish's devotees, and came up with a few learnings on how any brand can generate deep fan engagement. And the biggest mantra is to give your followers a unique name, logo and image, which makes them instantly recognizable to one another as well as fosters a sense of belonging.

"Insane Clown Posse fans are not just Insane Clown Posse fans, they're Juggalos. From a branding perspective, that really marks people as being a part of something. Another part of why ICP is such a cultural force, a musical force, and a business force in 2013 is because of the Hatchetman logo. It's like the Apple apple or the Nike swoosh. They found this appealing iconography... That logo played a big role in making them part of a culture and a state of mind... You see someone else with a Hatchetman tattoo and there's an instant bond," writes Rabin.

There is plenty of evidence to find merit in what Rabin says, such as other musical acts (Grateful Dead's "Deadheads") or sports (the England cricket team's "Barmy Army").